The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend the Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees game in support of the Invictus Games Foundation
Saturday, 29th June 2019, Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, today attended the first game of the Major League Baseball (MLB) London Series at London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday 29th June. The Invictus Games Foundation, of which His Royal Highness is Patron, was selected as charity partner for the 2019 series.
This was the first time that Major League Baseball hosted two regular season games in Europe. The series featured two of MLB’s most famous teams – the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.
On arrival, The Duke and Duchess met Commissioner Rob Manfred, before joining the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in their respective clubhouses. Their Royal Highnesses then attended a short reception with former Invictus Games competitors and their family and friends. Before joining the stands to watch the game, The Duke accompanied Invictus Games competitors onto the field and invited former competitors Ryan McIntosh, from the USA and Abbie Kasparis from the UK to throw out the first pitch, to Red Sox’s Chris Sale, and the Yankee’s CC Sabathia.
On the Friday of the London Series, former Invictus Games competitors were coached through an adaptive baseball session before watching the two teams in their workouts, during which they were surprised by a visit from New York Yankee’s CC Sabathia who offered Abbie some pitching advice ahead of Saturday’s First Pitch moment.
Fellow first pitcher, Former Invictus Games Competitor Ryan McIntosh, said, “I wasn’t too nervous about the First Pitch, as ex-military, you just keep your nerves to a minimum. I was so excited though to come here and represent not just my country, the USA, but all of the wounded, injured or sick servicemen and women from all countries. It’s all one big Invictus Family, and now we’re part of the MLB family too!”
MLB recently announced the Invictus Games Foundation as an Official Charity Partner of the Mitel & MLB Present London Series 2019. The Invictus Games Foundation is the international charity that oversees the development of the Invictus Games, an international adaptive multi-sport event in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and veterans participate. It celebrates the power of sport in recovery and how it can help, physically or psychologically, those suffering from injuries or illness.
As part of the partnership, the Invictus Games Foundation had a team participating in London’s Softball60, the social softball series built for the city and targeted to introduce the sport to new audiences and demonstrate that it is an inclusive sport.
